Alexander Iskandaryan: Armenia could mediate in Georgian-Russian normalization

Karen Ghazaryan
Public Radio of Armenia

The victory of representative of the Georgian Dream Georgy Margvelashvili in the Georgian presidential elections creates new opportunities for the further development of Armenian-Georgian relations, Director of the Caucasus Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandarayn told a press conference today.

Iskandaryan said one of the most important issues for the Georgian authorities is the normalization of relations with Russia, and Armenia could well assume a mediating role here.

According to the political scientist, Russia will now be more favorable to Georgia than before, and this is important to us, as a neighboring country. “The problem is that during Sahakashvili’s presidency Georgia’s foreign policy did not depend on the country itself. Georgia’s capital was Washington, not Tbilisi, and Washington’s political priorities were different,” Iskandaryan said.

According to him, after Saakashvili’s departure, these are opportunities for Georgia to conduct its foreign policy considering its own interests. This, in turn, creates new perspectives for the development of Armenian-Georgian relations, and Armenia could act as a mediator on many issues. “Our diplomacy must be able to make use of this opportunity,” Iskandaryan stated.